I recently had the good fortune of doing the famous Kona manta ray night dive. It was a truly once in a lifetime experience to be so close to these amazing creatures. I wrote a report here and the pictures are here. Some highlights are below. I used a Nikon D40 and 12-24 mm lens in an Ikelite housing, with one DS-160 and one DS-125. I'm not happy with the soft corners, but such is a life with a wide angle rectilinear lens. I hope to be able to go back one day with a 10-17 mm fisheye! Hope you like them.

looks like a u had a great time. ive always wanted to do that dive and think i will be in hawaii this january. where did u stay and would you recomend it? also who did you dive with and was there any other diving that you enjoyed besides the manta night dive?

The dive was really fantastic and I recommend it to everyone! It was a unique experience and something I would repeat in a heartbeat. Don't miss it!

I was actually on the Big Island for a friend's wedding so I did not have time to do any other dives. Scott Geitler's website has an article that discussing diving in Kona. You can find it here:http://www.uwphotogr...com/kona-diving

I stayed at the Four Seasons Kaupulehu, which is where the wedding was held. It's a wonderful resort but very expensive. I'd highly recommend it if you don't mind the prices.

I dove with Fair Wind. They mostly specialize in snorkelers. We went with them because our group consisted of a large number of snorkelers and only a few divers.

Interests:filming/editing/exotic travel. l write reviews of editing software, books, tutorials and Mac based NLE related products for the www.kenstone.net and www.lafcpug.org sites as well as articles for Asian Diver Magazine and wetpixel. I am one of the founding members of the San Diego UnderSea Film Festival

Posted 12 March 2011 - 10:30 AM

Is there a time of year when it is best to do the night manta dive there? I always thought I was the only one in the world who had not done it but I will finally get the chance this coming June.
Steve

www.kenstone.net
www.lafcpug.org

Steve Douglas
steve-sharksdelight@cox.net

I have worked as an unpaid reviewer for the editing websites since 2002. Most all hardware and software is sent to me free of charge, however, in no way am I obligated to provide either positive or negative evaluations. Any suggestions I make regarding products are a result of my own, completely, personal opinions and experiences with said products.

Manta Rays are awesome. When I was in Hawaii on the Big Island these guys shows up at night near the lights. The swim around the lights because the algae and other food source are attracted to it and this is what the Manta Rays were feeding on. But I wish I would have swam with the beautiful creature like you did.

This dive is still fresh in my memory as being one of the most amazing and humbling dives in my career. It is truly a gift from nature to be able to interact with these wonderful gentle creatures. I really hope I can go back and repeat the dive in the near future, this time with a 10-17 fisheye lens.

Don, actually the water was not all that clear. It was the usual plankton soup that mantas tend to like. I had the strobes stretched out (using 5" + 8" ULCS arms on either side) and back such at the face of the strobes were almost 6 inches behind the face of the dome port. I did a bit of cleaning up in PS but not a whole lot. Below is pic #5 as it came out of the camera, so you can see for yourself. I don't have the rest of the pics handy as I am in the office and my pics are at home, but you get the idea.

I recently had the good fortune of doing the famous Kona manta ray night dive. It was a truly once in a lifetime experience to be so close to these amazing creatures. I wrote a report here and the pictures are here. Some highlights are below. I used a Nikon D40 and 12-24 mm lens in an Ikelite housing, with one DS-160 and one DS-125. I'm not happy with the soft corners, but such is a life with a wide angle rectilinear lens. I hope to be able to go back one day with a 10-17 mm fisheye! Hope you like them.

Interests:filming/editing/exotic travel. l write reviews of editing software, books, tutorials and Mac based NLE related products for the www.kenstone.net and www.lafcpug.org sites as well as articles for Asian Diver Magazine and wetpixel. I am one of the founding members of the San Diego UnderSea Film Festival

Posted 19 March 2011 - 12:55 PM

Just a thought. How are videographers going about filming during these night dives when a zillion photographer flashes are going off? Any tricks and tips?
Steve

www.kenstone.net
www.lafcpug.org

Steve Douglas
steve-sharksdelight@cox.net

I have worked as an unpaid reviewer for the editing websites since 2002. Most all hardware and software is sent to me free of charge, however, in no way am I obligated to provide either positive or negative evaluations. Any suggestions I make regarding products are a result of my own, completely, personal opinions and experiences with said products.